Sailor Moon Embrace Destiny
by djk1982
Summary: After the series ends, the story does not. And after a year of silence, a new evil with an old agenda rises to challenge the Sailor Scouts, and along the way there is coming of age as Sailor Moon is forced to embrace her destiny.
1. Chapter 1

Greetings out there, true believers!

By now I am sure some of you are familiar with me. This is your humble author, speaking to all of you beautiful people out there! This is a different sort of venture of me, it's a Sailor Moon fic! This is actually the very first fic I ever wrote, and that I have decided to finally finish and put up on for all of you to enjoy!  
As always, all the legal mumbo jumbo applies. I don't own the Sailor Moon franchise, its characters, or any names, dates, places, etc. contained therein. However, any original characters in this fic are mine, and if any of you out there like them enough, please ask before using them in one of your own stories.  
And now, I want to issue a challenge to all of you out there! As you read the progressing chapters, I want you all to take your best shot at guessing just what will happen next, and especially at just who the antagonist of this story is, and just what his connection to Sailor Moon and co. is. I look forward to seeing your responses.  
And with that, I leave you to enjoy. Read on!

Keep reading, and keep believing!

Sincerely yours,  
Djk1982

I  
The Message

With a final scream of defeat, the monstrous form of Beryl, now possessed by Metallia, incinerated in the overwhelming stream of energy. The flash of light from her destruction was blinding, and for a moment it wiped everything out, leaving only empty, white nothingness, perhaps like that experienced by a birthing infant as it enters the world…

Usagi Tsukino snapped her eyes open. She gazed up at the ceiling for a moment, remembering that she was in bed, not on the battlefield. She blinked several times, gave a long sigh, and then sat up, rubbing her forehead. She placed both hands over her eyes, and for a moment struggled to hold back tears that she could not understand.  
She had been dreaming more and more often of the final battle between her and Beryl. It seemed ages ago, but each time it came through, clear as the image on a television screen. Every detail, to the feel of her princess' gown against her skin, to the fire of her enemy's eyes, to the comforting presence that she took during the final moments, as if her fallen comrades were back alongside her, was exactly as it had been.  
She had not told Momaru, nor her companions, of these dreams. She preferred to leave their thoughts focused on the happy present, not the pains of the past. They had faced enemies much more horrific than Beryl, and so she wondered, why did that particular ghost of her past haunt her now?  
She found her eyes drawn down to the feline form sleeping at her feet. She smiled, taking small comfort in Luna's presence. The dreams at least reminded of her some happy times too, such as the day she had first met this remarkable creature, her friend, mentor, and sometimes pet. Luna's presence comforted her, and she slowly laid back down to try resuming sleep.  
This time, she dreamt of Momaru, and of things she knew where coming soon.

"You did it!" Ami shouted, throwing her arms around Usagi's neck in a wave of enthusiasm. Usagi giggled and tried not to crumple the acceptance notice in her hand; she wanted to be able to show this to Momaru later. It had taken a lot of effort, but thanks to some hard tutoring by both Ami and Momaru, her grades had actually improved to the point where college seemed possible.  
"Yeah, congratulations." Minako smiled, giving her friend a pat on the shoulder.  
"Who would have thought." Rei smirked.  
"Good job, Usagi," Makato added. They're celebration was interrupted by the sound of sniffling. All heads turned to the two cats who sat on the porch of the shrine. Luna's head was bowed, her tiny body trembling a little as she emitted tiny sobs.  
"Luna, what's wrong?" Artemis said, leaning in closer to her.  
"My girl…going off to college…" the black cat said in hushed voice. She then raised her small head, revealing that her eyes shined, trying to hold back the tears. "Its just so…so…"  
"Aw, Luna!" Usagi shouted, throwing her arms around her oldest friend, hugging the cat to her body. The others could not help but smile as they watched the emotional display between the two.  
Luna finally controlled her sobs, and offered a catty smile up at her protégé.  
"I just hope they allow cats on campus."  
"Hey, this is a celebration!" Artemis chimed in, trying to heighten the mood.  
"Yeah!" Minako shouted, grabbing Usagi by the arm and hauling her up. "Lets hit the arcade!" She received no argument.

The wind whipped through her hair, causing it to fly about in a brilliant cascade of blue, like the ripple of tropical water. She sighed and tilted her head back, closing her eyes, and enjoyed the cool, refreshing whisper of the breeze.  
Haruka cold not help but smile a little as she admired her lover in the fading sun. It was pleasant to have some time alone, and with Setsuna babysitting Hotaru, it left the evening before them full of promise. She turned her eyes back to the road, but carefully, oh so carefully, she switched her grip on the steering wheel to one hand, the other slowly snaking out to wrap itself about Michiru's shoulder. Much to her delight, about halfway her companion randomly leaned over, resting her head against her shoulder.  
"So…" she said, breaking the silence, "What do you feel like for dinner? Whatever you want."  
"Hm…" Michiru sighed as she returned to reality. "Anything, as long as I'm with you." Haruka could not help but smile at this response. "This has been wonderful." Michiru said, opening her eyes to gaze up at her friend and lover.  
"I'm glad you've enjoyed it so far." Haruka replied, and then added with a smirk "But the night is still young." Michiru smiled, and then shrieked when Haruka suddenly buried her face in her green hair and began kissing and nibbling at her neck.  
"Haruka!" She said between giggles, "keep you're eyes on the road!"  
"I can't take my eyes off you." Haruka said, lowering her voice a notch as she dove in for more kisses.  
"You're being-WATCH OUT!" Michiru's horrified scream ripped Haruka's eyes back to the road before them. She did not have time to make out the details of the figures standing in the road ahead of them before she tore the steering wheel as hard as she could sending the car swinging about. The tires screamed against the pavement, a black trail of burned rubber in the wake of the runaway vechile. They were brought to a stop by the crash of the lamppost against the passenger side door, the window cracking with the impact but not shattering. The force sent both of them slamming forward and then throw back against the seats by the snap of they're seatbelts.  
They both were still for a moment, allowing their minds to catch up to the events of the last few seconds. Haruka gripped the steering wheel, as if trying to reaffirm her control. She then reached over and touched Michiru, whose entire body trembled.  
"Are you okay?" She asked, and then repeated when Michiru did not respond. She opened her mouth to say it a third time when finally she nodded, her shell shock-keeping her tongue tied. She then tore her seatbelt off and threw the door open to check on whoever she had almost hit.  
"Well, its you Haruka-papa." A sinister, feminine voice said, mockingly.  
Haruka froze, her jaw dangling. Michiru leaned forward to look past her companion, and found herself also paralyzed with shock and disbelief.  
"It can't be…" Haruka managed to say before a dark whip of silky strands lashed out, wrapped around her throat, and yanked her from the car.  
Michiru screamed.


	2. Chapter 2

II

The Eyes

She gave a shuddering sigh, wobbled for a moment, and then proceeded to topple over, and only the steady arms of Makato saved her from cracking her skull against the hard floor.  
"Usagi!" Rei shouted, immediately going to her knees to help Makato as she eased they're friend to the floor. Minako and Ami joined in the circle, looking down worriedly as Usagi slowly opened her eyes. She blinked a few times, clearing her vision, and then slowly sat up.  
"What happened to you?" Minako asked, placing a hand on her fellow blonde's shoulder to help her up.  
"What…" Usagi said, looking at her quizzically.  
"You fainted." Ami explained. "Did you feel light headed? Or dizzy?"  
"I don't know…" Usagi said, her voice distant as she tried to pierce the cloud shadowing her mind, "I just got this terrible feeling…like someone was screaming…"  
The tense mood was shaken by the beeping of a cellular phone. Minako reached for her purse, dug around till she found the source, and then held it to her face.  
"Hello? Setsuna! How are you? You're what? Are you sure? All right, we'll try…" she placed it back in her purse, and then addressed the curios eyes of her companions. "Setsuna say's that Haruka and Michiru went out on a date, and left her with Hotaru. She wanted to call them on the car phone so Hotaru could say goodnight before she went to bed, but they aren't answering."  
"Let me guess, she wants us to look for them?" Rei asked, and received a nod of affirmation.  
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Makato said, rising to her feet. The others followed suite. Only Usagi remained, her face drooping in uncertainty.  
"Usagi? Come on!" Ami called, and finally she went after them.

With an agonized shout, he flailed about, smacking his books away and knocking over the glass of still fizzling soda pop. Momaru scrambled back against his couch and then sat, breathing heavily in the darkness. His head snapped about, scanning over the interior of his apartment, dreading to see those eyes still gazing at him from beyond his dream.  
He looked down at his papers and books, now scattered, and then closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he tried to calm himself. He hesitated before opening them, fearing that he would see the face he had just encountered in dreams right before him. But no, it was just his own home, empty save for him.  
He rose to his feet and searched blindly for a moment before he found the lamp. The light tore through the gathering darkness, giving him further comfort. He resolved to try not to fall asleep while studying ancient mythology ever again.  
He went out on the balcony. It was a warm night, but he still trembled from his dream. He tried to distract himself, thinking of other things. But nevertheless, he could not shake the form that had been grasping for him in his nightmare. But at the same time, he found himself also unable to shake the picture of Usagi from his mind. He tried to tell himself it was for pure reasons, but it was impossible to deny his natural instinct. Fear often makes people desire sex, its one in the eye for whatever is being feared. He shook his head, as if trying to throw the images away, and went back inside.

"No way…there's just no way…"  
"It's just impossible…"  
"It can't be…"  
These were some of the disbelieving phrases that the five said breathlessly when they saw what was unfolding before them. They all fought with the reality of it, tried to convince themselves that they were not seeing what was in fact right in front of them.  
Haruka was currently being stretched out like a rubber bad, yanked aggressively at her arms and legs by the black hair that writhed like snakes along her skin. It gave another yank, causing her to cry out in pain, and then her tormentor turned to face the newly arrived saviors, giving the final confirmation of just who it was.  
"Welcome, Sailor Scouts." Mistress 9 said, her lips curling up into a cruel smile. As she came around, it brought into view Michiru, also captive in her clutches. She held the aqua-haired woman against her body, cupping her chin and face with her hand. Michiru's head lolled limply from side to side with the movement, as if all the strength had been drained from her.  
"But…this is impossible!" Usagi said, her hand going to her mouth in sheer disbelief.  
"Nothing is impossible, you should know that by now." Mistress 9 responded. She then raised a hand and snapped her fingers, summoning a bolt of lightning from the cloudless skies. It tore into the ground between the girls, throwing them all to the ground. Usagi struggled to rise to her feet when Mistress 9's fingers wrapped around her throat, raising her up from the ground, her feet dangling, desperately trying to writhe her way free.  
As the world started to grow blurry, she reached up to her chest, grasping for her brooch. But just as her fingers scraped the smooth surface, Mistress 9 clamped her hand down on hers, crushing it in a vice-like grip. "We wouldn't want that, would we." The witch chuckled.  
There was the sound of air being torn and a streak of red. But the rose did not slash Mistress 9's hand as it had been intended to. Instead, another hand caught it in mid air, pinched between two fingers.  
"A rose, for me? Momaru, you shouldn't have." Wicked Lady said, and then held the flower to her nose, sniffing delicately. Tuxedo Kamen grit his teeth in frustration, showing no apparent signs of surprise at his enemies, and leapt down from the street lamp to face them on equal footing.  
"I don't know what it is you are after, but you won't get it!" He said, handling his cane as if it were a sword. Mistress 9 scowled and tossed Usagi aside like a rag doll.  
"What we want doesn't matter in the least." She sneered. They both started to move for him.  
"Mars Flame Sniper!" Came the battle cry from Rei, now transformed into Sailor Marts.  
The two harpies gave almost no reaction to the sudden attack. Wicked Lady calmly placed two fingers to her lips, and then blew a kiss at the oncoming wave of flame. The soft blow of her lips turned into a blast of air, and blew the flames right back toward they're source of origin. Mars screamed, but was knocked out of the way just in time by Jupiter. The two she-devils then turned to face Mercury and Venus, who stood, ready for combat.  
"On behalf of…" Venus started to say when Wicked Lady reached up, pulled a hair pin from her  
locks, drawing it out like a sword from its sheath, and threw it at them. They both ducked, allowing it to sail past them. "Planet Venus, I shall…" she resumed, and then screamed in pain when the pin turned in mid air, came back, and buried itself in her thigh. She collapsed, grinding her teeth, holding back tears of pain as she tried to pull it out. Mercury knelt down alongside her and tried her best to help.  
Mistress 9 chuckled with wicked amusement, but her laughter ceased when the tip of Tuxedo Kamen's cane pressed against her throat.  
"Release Haruka, now!" he snarled.  
"We do not take orders from you" she said, her eyes rolling over to look at him, "But I will grant your request." And with that the coils of her hair hurled Haruka straight into him, sending them both tumbling down.  
"That's enough!" Came another voice now, and again the villainesses turned, this time to face Sailor Moon herself. She struck her dynamic pose and then pointed a finger at them.  
"It certainly is." Wicked Lady said, that same smile forming again.  
"We have all we need to know." Mistress 9 added. And with that, the coils of her hair that had previously held Haruka wrapped about the two of them, and then vanished.  
Sailor Moon remained in her combat ready position, a sweat-drop of frustration and confusion forming. She snapped back to reality quickly, and moved to help Michiru.  
"Hey, hey, are you all right?" she asked, giving her friend some light slaps on the cheek. Michiru moaned and slowly opened her eyes.  
"Th-that was Mistress 9!" Haruka said as Tuxedo Kamen helped her to her feet.  
"But how, they're both dead…aren't they?" Venus asked as Mercury helped her hobble over.  
"True evil never dies, I guess." Mars said, sighing in frustration.  
"Maybe they never died." Jupited said, scratching her chin.  
"Maybe they were just dormant, waiting inside Rini and Hotaru…" Mercury started to say when Haruka straightened up, ripping herself away from Tuxedo Kamen's helping hands.  
"Hotaru!" she shouted.  
"And Rini!" Sailor Moon screeched as her thoughts came into sync with Haruka's.

Setsuna jumped when the door burst open. Haruka and Michiru both came galloping into the livingroom. She rose, the book she had been reading falling out of her lap to the floor.  
"Hotaru!" Haruka screamed.  
"Haruka, Michiru, what do you mean coming running in here like…" Sestsuna started to say, when she began to notice the obvious. "You look terrible! What happened to you?"  
"Hotaru!" Haruka screamed again, and went running for the staircase.  
"You'll wake her!" Setsuna said, but was silenced when Michiru grabbed her by the shoulders and gave her a firm shake.  
"Setsuna, something's happened to Hotaru!"  
"What are you talking about? She hasn't left her bed all evening."  
"No, tonight, we saw…"  
"Michiru!" Haruka's call came from the top of the stairs. Michiru released Setsuna and went running to respond, leaving Setsuna standing alone, feeling a confused dread that ate at the pit of her stomach.  
Michiru scrambled up to the top of the stairs and down the hall to Hotaru's bedroom. She joined her lover in standing in the doorway, looking in at the sight of they're adopted daughter laying asleep in her bed, her skin seeming to glow in the light of her multiple night lamps. They both stayed, rooted to the spot, struggling for answers.  
"How…?" Michiru whispered, clutching Haruka's arm for comfort. Haruka herself could only frown with uncertainty.

Somewhere else…

Mistress 9 and Wicked Lady strode through the shadows with total comfort, as though they had done this a thousand times. They stopped several feet from where the shadows lightened, to give clear view of the throne that sat in the middle of the darkness.  
"We serve The Dynasty of the Black Sun…" Misterss 9 intoned.  
"In all things." Wicked Lady finished. Then the abased themselves, going down onto one knee each, they're heads lowered in reverence.  
"We have done as you willed my Lord…" Mistress 9 spoke quietly.  
"We have gauged they're strength." Wicked Lady said, and then smiled as she went on, "At they're best they could not hope to match you."  
"And they do not know you are coming." Mistress 9 added.  
Somewhere in the darkness above the throne, it seemed as though two balls of fire blazed to life as the a pair of shadowed lids opened to reveal two yellow eyes, the pupils burning red like a pair of coals on a fire. The light from the eyes glinted off the fanged teeth as a pair of lips curled up in a grin that promised pure evil.


	3. Chapter 3

III

The Black Sun Dynasty

He kept his head lowered, as if looking up at her would be sinful. She sat upon her throne, her hands moving about her blowing crystal ball. Her face softened as she looked upon him, her soulless yellow eyes gleaming with affection.  
"Who are you?" she asked him, her usually cold and cruel voice a little warmer for him.  
"A loyal servant of the Negaverse, my queen." He replied.  
"And does the earth woman mean anything to you?"  
"Nothing in the least" he replied, doing his best to mask his own confusion. "I serve only you, my queen, in all things." She smiled, her fanged teeth protruding over her lips.  
And now there was another presence, standing alongside him, towering, cloaked in black. A pale hand with fingernails like claws clapped onto his shoulder. He raised his eyes to it…

Mamoru shot up in bed with a thrashing jolt. He sat in the darkness, panting as the cool night air prickled his sweat soaked skin. He took a moment to gather his senses, and then reached for the switch of his reading lamp.  
The light flicked on, flooding the room with illumination, and revealing the figure standing at the foot of his bed. Mamoru was silent for a moment, until the yellow eyes opened. Then he screamed.

Mamoru writhed on his bed, tangling himself in the sheets. He took a few moments then, of total silence, to be sure that this time he was really awake. He rolled onto his side and started to raise his arm, but then lowered it back down to the mattress, afraid to turn on the light; afraid of just what it might reveal.  
He shivered, in spite of the warmth of the night, and remained, unmoving. He passed the remainder of the night this way, breathing in the darkness, only moving when the sun had chased away all the shadows. It was a long night.

"And when I got home, Rini was just safe and sound, taking a bath." Usagi said, her face still drawn in consternation.  
"And Haruka said Hotaru was asleep in bed." Minako sighed, leaning her forehead on her hand. "And that when she woke up, she had no idea what had been going on."  
"Did you tell Rini?" Rei asked carefully.  
"Are you kidding?" Usagi said, a bit more forcefully than she intended to. "The less she knows about it, the better!"  
"Are you sure about that?" Rei replied. "If she is turning into Wicked Lady again…"  
"No way!" Usagi said, even louder, causing a few heads to turn. She lowered her head and her voice with embarrassment, "Mom and dad said she didn't leave the house once the whole night."  
"Is it possible that they turned into them again and back before anyone noticed they were gone?" Makato suggested, playing with her milk shake.  
"It seems unlikely…" Ami added in. "If Hotaru had turned into Mistress 9 again, Setsuna surely would have known. Besides, they were after us and Haruka and Michiru, if Hotaru had turned into her again, why would she leave Setsuna there, undisturbed, instead of attacking her?"  
"And that's not all…" Usagi said, gathering everyone's attention. She glanced around, as if she were about to give out state secrets, and then whispered, "Did anyone else notice those things on their heads?"  
"What things?" Makato said, tilting her head.  
"You know, how Wicked Lady had that crescent moon, and Mistress 9 had a star on their foreheads?" Usagi said. "This time they didn't have them."  
"You're right, I noticed that too!" Rei said, whispering as well. "They both had a black circle, with a little dot in the center."  
"But what does that mean?" Minako asked.  
"The sun…" said, all heads turning to face her. "It's the zodiac symbol for the sun."  
"And?" Usagi said after a long silence.  
"And that's it." Ami sighed, "I don't know what that means. I guess we'll just have to find out in time." She was met with a chorus of groans, and she hesitated a moment before saying "And there's something else…" All heads rose a little, interest perking. "Mistress 9 addressed us as Sailor Senshi…but she never saw our true identities before….so how did she know who we are?" She raised her eyes, and saw the weight of the notion gathering on everyone's minds. "And if they do know who we are, what's to keep them from attacking us again when we are at home, or with our families?" There was a long, painful silence as they all digested such an idea.  
"Heads up, Naru's coming!" Minako suddenly said, causing everyone to jump in their seats. They all scrambled to look casual as Naru came up alongside their table.  
"Hey guys, long time no see!" she said cheerfully. Her brightness gloomed a little when she saw just how serious the rest of them seemed to be. "Am I interrupting something?"  
"No, of course not!" Usagi said, pushing her face up into a warm smile.  
"Pull up a seat." Makato said, pushing a chair out from the table with her foot.  
"Thanks." Naru replied with a smile. She placed her hand on the back of the chair, started to lower herself into it, when her head rose. She paused, her gaze going straight out the window. Her eyes narrowed, as if in thought…  
"Hey, something wrong?" Minako said. Then Naru's eyes widened and a piercing scream rose from her. She took a few steps back, her feet becoming tangled with the legs of the chair, knocking both herself and the chair over onto the floor.  
"Whoa!" Usagi shrieked, and immediately went on her knees to help her oldest friend.  
"You okay?" Ami asked, just as shocked as the rest of them.  
"What happened?" Rei said, taking Naru's hand and patting it gently.  
"N-nothing…" she replied, desperately, "I just thought I saw something…"  
Everyone threw her a questioning stare, and then turned their heads to look out the window that Naru had just moments ago shrunk back from. All that met their gaze was the busy streets.

"That was very unwise!" Wicked Lady sneered at their new companion. She crossed her arms in annoyance, scowling fiercely at him.  
"I just wanted to see her." He said, ignoring her anger.  
"What you want is of no importance." Mistress 9 scolded. "Do you want him to punish us again?" Wicked Lady shuddered at this, the very thought chilling her.  
"No, of course not!" he said, jolting up straight, the thought of punishment startling him as well. "I serve the Black Sun Dynasty…"  
"In all things." Wicked Lady finished for him. "See that you remember it. Remember what he said: if one of us fails, we all fail. And he will punish us as a whole." They were interrupted when Mistress 9 gave a small gasp, they both spun on their heels to face the dark shape coming toward them. "M-my lord…" Wicked Lady began, but found her words stuck in her throat as it passed by them.  
It sat down on the throne, and then held its long arms out. The glowing ball materialized, and slowly the image of the huddled girls helping Naru up from the floor appeared within it. And once again, the fanged smile spread as a mind beyond wickedness continued to scheme.


End file.
